Never give a sword to a man who can't dance*
mornin' Craig,
Just scrolled down to yer recent post,
ah shure am a curmudgeony s.o.b!
MAKES POLYESTER A PRETTY LETHAL COCKTAIL doesn't it?
Yet I know I could get into somebody's face about it and they'd still edit out what they don't want to hear! Including them who publish advice. I don't mean, 'wear gloves and a mask.'
It's a little late now to find out, but those nameless Azorian farmers who pasted our fleet together, I wonder how their health was after their return home? I'm sure some safety protocols were enforced at the factory in the 60s, couldn't have been very sophisticated. Just guessing.
Once I practically bathed in polyester. Stoned myself on the saccharin fumes. I was born stupid. And I may not have recovered yet, and, as you point out, may never will. :(
Your health is only as good as you can afford.
You can afford good epoxy.
* If in this case the 'sword' is polyester, then the dance is a positive airflow mask, tyvec suits, nitril gloves and a good plan of action based on practice. On the estate here the guys working with face shields or dust masks on a task will remove them as soon as the heat leaves - because it ain't macho to wear them, I presume.
Two classic polyester/fiberglass manuals
Hullo Brendan Watson??? Still there?
To answer your original question,
there are two non-technical (in the old sense) fiberglass books published in the '60's that parallel the age of our A/Cs. One is Allan Viatses' FIBERGLASS REPAIR MANUEL. He also virtually invented the method for sheathing wood with polyester. You really don't need a more technical manual than this in the use of fiberglass.
And certainly the friendliest of all is the wonderful classic: FIBERGLASS BOATS, by Hugo du Plessis. You shouldn't have any trouble finding these. Later editions are updated.
With these two manuals you'll have a lot of know how. My early editions of these books mention dermatitis as a problem for some. And if you develop the problem 'stick to wooden boats'! So there is a golden light of innocence pervading these adventurous how to do it source books. Maybe not right in light of what we now know about these chemicals - but a relief! Can see how I just dove right in.
These really are the polyester classics. Specific epoxy manuals and tip sheets are found at West System, System Three, etc. But the principles are basically the same.
Smith & Co.'s ALL WOOD GLUE, so far as I know THE best epoxy wood adhesive on the market, has a label on the can 1/3 of which in small print spells out hazards, a 'non warranty' in lawyereze, and ends with: 'This product is inherently unsafe - It cannot be made safe.' There should be a skull and bones on all this stuff. But this is a dangerous world and testosterone (AND the profit motive) rules.